France’s youngest PM Attal to run for president

France’s former prime minister Gabriel Attal said on Friday he would run for president next year when Emmanuel Macron steps down, becoming the second prominent centrist to challenge the far-right.“I can’t take this kind of French politics anymore, where it’s just 50 shades of managing decline,” said the 37-year-old, who was France’s youngest prime minister when he served in 2024.He announced his bid under a blazing sun in the southern village of Mur-de-Barrez – the kind of rural area where France’s centrists hope to strengthen their performance against the far-right National Rally (RN) party.General Secretary of French centrist party Renaissance Gabriel Attal (middle) has lunch with members of his team and supporters after announcing his candidacy for the 2027 presidential elections during a visit to the village of Mur-de-Barrez in southwestern France on Friday. Photo: AFPAttal joins a crowded field of candidates, including 55-year-old Edouard Philippe, an experienced centre-right former prime minister, and hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, 74.